Unitary spring cover



w. T. FERGUSON ET AL 1,925,047

UNITARY SPRING COVER Filed April 10, 1931 ///////////////////l r 2'2 Fig.7.

6 w v \nventor y Warren T. Fevguson 3 Chofles B. Eisenhcmer WM MKM Patented Aug. 29, 1933 UNITED s'mrs 1,925,042 um'rsar seams coves;

Application April Ill, 1931. Serial No. 529,058

C. (Cl. 26i-,37)

This invention relates to improvements in spring covers and more particularly to covers for leaf springs for vehicles, such as automobiles, and the general object of the invention is to plurality of units or sections fabricated from sheet metal to conform to. and closely to embrace corresponding sections of the spring, with their adjacent ends telescopically engagednand having means for locking adjacent sections together in such a manner that the locking means will be concealed by the means which is employed to loci: the units upon the-seam.

More particularly the invention relates to improvements in spring covers of the type disclosed in the patent to schlesser, No. 1,648,742, granted November 8, 1927, which comprises a spring cover having aplurality of units fabricated to conform to and closely to embrace corresponding sections of the spring, and telescopically to engage, each unit having overlapping edge flanges forming interlocking members adapted to be interengaged after the unit is applied to the spring and compressed to form a lock seam, the present invention comprising means, preferably tabs, punched through the metal of the telescoping por tions of adjacent sections in proximity to the line of fold of like flanges of the adjacent units and bent against the opposite side of one of said portions, thereby locking the sections together to provide a unitary cover which may be easily transported and readily applied to the spring as a unit, thereby saving time which otherwise would be required to assemble the several units individually upon the spring in proper telescopic arrangement.

By reason of the present invention, therefore, covers can be assembles for each spring if of the cantilever type, or each half section of the spring if of the so-called semi-elliptic type and to the factory of the vehicle menu fecturer in condition to he applied as a unit to the Another object of the invention is to provide a. spring cover of the character above described in which the interengeging locking means errtend along a corner of the spring, preferably the upper surface thereof, so that the cover presents an uninterrupted, substantially surface of pleasing appearance.

These and other objects and features of the invention will more fully appear from the following description and the accompanying drawing and will be particularly pointed out in the claims.

' In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of two sections of a fabricated spring cover shown in opened pos ,tion and illustrating the preferred manner in provide a unitary spring cover formed of a which the telescoping end portions of adjacent to sections are secured together by locking means adapted to be concealed by the lock seam when the latter is folded down;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the spring cover applied to the spring with the locking flanges partially interengaged, and il1ustrating the position of the means for locking the adjacent sections together located in proximity to the fold of one of the flanges;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of two sections of 7 a spring cover applied to the spring with the interengaging flanges folded down to-iorm a lock seam which conceals the lock, for securing the telescoping ends of adjacent sections together;

Fig. 4 is a perspective viewillustrating a preferred form of spring cover with the locking flanges partially engaged and in which the lock; seam extends along andflush with a corner of the spring;

Fig. 5 is a similar perspective view showing the seem in locked position, the relative size of the seam being greatly exaggerated more clearly to show the interlocking of the members thereof Fig. 6 is a vertical transverse sectional view of the construction illustrated in Fig. 3 showing the loci; for securing the telescoping ends of adjacent sections together;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional View through the spring, for telescoping units of the cover, and a preferred form of loct ior securing the cover units-together. v

The spring cover illustrated in Fig. l corn-- prices a. series of units 1 and 2, which may be of any desired number, each fabricated to con form to a corresponding section of the spring, with'their adjacent ends telescopically arranged. These units preferably are tapered longitudinally with the small end of each unit telescopically engaging the larger end of an adjacent unit. Each unit comprises a sheet bent upon longitudinal folds to provide a fiat panel 3, of a width preferably slightly greater than the width of the leaves of the spring, and preferably adapted to engage the upper or long leaf of the spring, so that the lock will lie beneath the spring. It will he understood, however, that the spring cover may be reversely applied to the spring with the panel 3 engaging the lower face of the spring and the look upon the upper side thereof.

The plate is bent along longitudinal lines l lid and 5, to provide panels 6 and 7, adapted to engage sides of the spring. The sheet is then folded along longitudinal lines 8 and 9 to provide cooperating panels 10 and 11 which together are equal to the width of the spring, and each of the panels 10 and 11 is bent longitudinally along lines 12 and 13 to provide complementary interengaging flanges 141 and 15. The flange 14 is slightly longer than the flange l5 and is folded downwardly along longitudinal lines 16 to provide a lip 1'? adapted to fold over the flange 15, as illustrated in Fig. 2. The lip 17 may then be bent down against the flange: 15 and both flanges folded down, as illustrated inFig. 3, to form a loci: seam 18 of the type shown in the patent to Schlesser.

The present invention comprises means for locking telescoped ends of adjacent flanges together, while the spring cover is in open position, illustrated in Fig. l, to provide a unitary construction, and in which the locking means will be concealed when the interengaging flanges are folded down to form the lock seam.

The preferred manner of thus locking adjacent sections together, which is illustrated herein, is accomplished by punching tabs 19 and 20 inwardly through the metal of the telescoping ends of adjacent sections and bending the tabs thus formed against the under face-of the inner unit. This punching desirably is made in proximity to the line of fold 13 which determines the base of the shorter flange 13, so that the aperture 21 left when the tabs are punched inwardly will be concealed when the lock seam is folded down into the position illustrated in-Flg. 5.

By reason of this construction all of the units required to form the cover for .a spring of predetermined length may be assembled to provide a unitary structure adapted to be applied to the spring as a whole instead of requiring each individual unit to be positioned individually and locked upon the spring.

By reason of the present invention the several units required for a spring cover can be assembled in open position with the edges 0! the terminal panels spaced apart, as illustrated in Fig. 1, at the factory in which the units are manufactured and may then be conveniently packed for shipment to the factory or shop at which they are to be applied to the springs. The open spring cover can then be readily applied as a unitary structure to the spring without requiring skilled labor to assemble the cover units individually upon the spring, thereby greatly facilitating the application of the spring cover to the spring.

The permanently assembled units may be slipped over the spring and then readily bent until the lip 17 of the flange l4 snaps over the complementary flange 15, as illustrated in Fig. 2. The interengaged flanges may then be hammered down continuously from one end of the spring cover to the other to form 'thelock spring, illustrated in Fig. 4.

Deslrably a suitable lubricant having waterrepellant properties and containing a rust-pre-= venting composition is applied to the spring and enclosed in a wrapper 22 of heavy duck,'or other suitable fibrous material, before the spring cover is assembled upon the spring. The wrapping, which thus closely embraces the spring, together with the inelastic metallic covering, co-operate to maintain the leaves or laminatlons of the spring in constant frictional engagement throughout their lengths and eflectively prevents the separation of the leaves on the rebound of the sp ing,

thereby acting a certain extent as a shock absorber.

In Figs. 4 and 5 a modified construction is illustrated in which the sheets of material forming the several units are so constructed that one of the upper panels 23 is of sufficient length to extend entirely across the width of thespring, so that the told 24 oi'the flange 25 lies flush with the plane of the vertical panel 7. In this construction the shorter panel 26 extends only a short distance over the edge of the spring leaf and its flange 27 is engaged between the panel 28 and the'fiange 25 thereof. It will be noted that in this construction the longer panel 23 has a single edge flange instead of a flange provided with a lip as in the construction shown in Figs. 1 to 3. The locked seam, which is produced, however, when 'the flanges are interengaged and pressed down, is the same as that shown in the preceding figures.

This construction is of great practical advantage in view 0! the fact that when the spring units are assembled upon the spring, the flange 25 of the upper panel 23 may be snapped over the flange 27 upon the narrow panel 26 and the intercngaged flanges then permanently interlocked by pressing or hammering the some down without the necessity offirst bending the lip of the overlapping fiange against the under flange, as is re quired in the construction shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3. Such a seam can be much more conveniently locked down and furthermore all danger o! indentation or mutilation, which is likely to be caused by the pinching of the lip upon the flanges, is avoided.

Inasmuch as sheet metal covers are made oi relatively thin material, the loci: seam oi! the constructions illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5 is hardly apparent when the cover is applied to the spring, and consequently the spring cover may be applied to the spring with the lock extending along the upper inner edge of the spring without detracting from the appearance of the cover as would be the case it the lock seam were positioned longitudinally of the central portion of the upper or long leaf.

In Fig. 7 a preferred lock is disclosed as applied to the constructions shown in Figs. 4 and 5, but which may also be used in the spring cover shown in Figs. 1 to 3. In this construction two tabs 28 and 29 are punched downwardly through the telescoping portions of adJacent units and bent upwardly into engagement with the under face of units of the spring together, and that various changes in form, construction and arrangement of parts maybe made within the spirit of the following claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is:

and scene 1. A spring cover-comprising a phn'allty ottapering units fabricated from sheet metal to conform to and closely to embrace corresponding sections of a spring, with the smaller end of each unit telescopically engaging the larger end of an adjacent unit, each or said units having longitudinally extending complementary edge flanges adapted to be interengaged and folded down to canoes? Y together comprising tabs punched inwardly from the inetal'of the telescoping portions of adjacent sections and bent against the inner face of the inner unit.

2. A spring cover comprising a plurality of tapering units fabricated from sheet metal to con form to and closely to embrace corresponding sec tions of a spring, with. the smaller end of each unit telescopically engaging the larger end of an adjacent unit, each of said units having longitudinally extending complementary edge flanges adapted to be interengaged and folded down to provide a lock seam, locking means flexibly connecting the telescoping portions of adjacent units together comprising tabs punched inwardly from the metal of the telescoping portions of adjacent sections in proximity to the line of fold of like flanges of the adjacent units and bent against the. inner face of the inner unit, whereby said locking means will be concealed by the lock seam when the latter is folded down after application to the spring.

3. A spring cover comprising a plurality of tapering units fabricated from sheet metal to conform to and closely to embrace corresponding sections of a spring, with the smaller end of each unit telescopically engaging the larger end of an adjacent unit, each unit comprising a sheet bent to form panels corresponding respectively to three sides of the spring and co-operating wide and narrow terminal panels, one of which is substantially the width of the iourtb side or the spring, complementary edge flanges bent outwardly from said terminal panels adapted to be interengaged and folded down to provide a lock seam, and locking means connecting the telescoping portions of adjacent units together comprising tabs punched inwardly from the metal of the telescoping portions of adjacent units in proximity to the line of folder the wider flanges, and bent in opposite directions against the inner face or the inner unit, whereby said locking means will be concealed by the lock seam when the latter is pressed down after application to the spring.

4. A spring cover comprising a plurality of units fabricated from pliable sheet material to conform to and closely to embrace corresponding sections of the spring, with the ends oi adjacent units telescopically engaged and connected together by tabs punched inwardly from the material of the telescoping portions of adjacent units and bent against the inner face of the inner unit,

5. A spring cover comprising a plurality of tapering units fabricated from pliable sheet metal to conform to and closely to embrace corresponding sections of the spring, with the ends of adjacent units telescopically engaged and connected together by tabs punched from one side through the metal of the telescoping portions of adjacent units and bent against'the opposite side of one oi said portions.

, WARREN Tn FERGUSON.

CHARLES H. EISENHAUER.

Mill 

